Moisture-proof cigar-box.



No. 704,902. I A Manama- 15, 1902i A. moms, H 'MUISTURE PROOF CIGAR BOX.

(Application filed Apr 23, 1902.)

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PATENT OFFICE.

on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOlSTU RE-PROOF CIGAR-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,902, dated July 15,1902.

Application filed April 23, 1902.

To alt whom zit mag concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MoRTEN, a citizen of Great Britain, and aresident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the countyand State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inMoisture-Proof Cigar-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

My invention relates to boxes for cigars and analogous goods, the objectbeing to preserve the same, so that they will always be fresh and retaintheir flavor, together with a proper amount of moisture.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cigar box made in accordance with myinvention. Fig. '2 is a vertical cross-section through the same, andFig. 3 represents the outer layer of the bottom of the box.

The box comprises fiat members 1 2 3 1, made of any coarse-grained wood,such as oak, the member 3, located in the bottom of the box, beingperforated, as shown. Flat members 5 6 7 8 are disposed, as shown,inside of the flat members 1 2 3 4. A layer of felt or some analogoussubstance 9 is disposed between the inner and outer flat members in thebox proper, a similar layer 10 being disposed in the top of the box, asindicated more particularly in Fig. 2.

Hinge members 11 12 are pivoted together at 13, so as to allowthe lidofthebox to have. freedom of movement. The perforations 14,

Y in the bottom member 3 of the box are for the oxygen and then dies.

Serial No. 104,283. (No model.)

and various kinds of willow. It lives, in the true sense of the word,after being cut down and stored after long periods of time. The leaf ofthe tobacco-plant is not dead when rolled into cigars. It still livesand retains its property of breathing. If itis confined in an absolutelyair-tight receptacle, it absorbs When the leaf dies, it loses its aroma,flavor, and strength. Cigars made of tobacco-leaves must be alive inorder to afford good smoking. On the other hand, too much moisture willkill the tobacco-leaf. Itis moisture,and especially the uneven moistureresulting from sharp changes in humidity,which ruins cigars. If,therefore, a means can be devised of excluding this moisture and at thesame time of not excluding the air, the problem of keeping the cigars.in the very best condition is solved. I have solved this problem byproducing the box above described. The flat members 5 6 7 8 are made ofcedar-wood, which is just porous enough to admit the proper amount ofmoisture and no more. I find that the best re sults are attained with aninner lining of cedar-wood, an outerlining of oak, rosewood, andmahogany, and an intermediate layer of felt sandwiched between the innerand outer linings. With the box made as above described the perforations14 are highly essential. The idea, as above stated, is not to make thebox air-tight nor to allow too free ingress or egress of the air, but toadmit only a certain amount of air and to exclude all moisture exceptthat already in the cigars and in the air of the box when closed. \Vhenair is inclosed in a box such as described above, cigars may bepreserved indefinitely and kept practically as sweet and as fresh aswhen first made.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1 A box for cigars and the like, comprising an outerlining of wood provided with a perforated bottom, a layer of fibrousmaterial adjacent to said outer lining, and an inner lining of porouswood, said box being provided with'a fiat top consisting of upper andlower layers of porous wood between which In testimony whereof I havesigned my is sandwiched a layer of fibrous material, the name to thisspecification in the presence of arrangement being such that theperforations two subscribing witnesses.

of the bottom layer of the bottom of said box ALEXANDER MORTEN. 5 tendto compensate for the want of circula- Witnesses:

tion of air through the bottom of the box due M. J. HEALY,

to the box resting upon an object. NATHAN H. FROST.

